Wheel of Fortune timeline (syndicated)/Season 4

A timeline for Season 4 of Wheel of Fortune, which aired in first-run from September 8, 1986 through June 19, 1987. Please note that this page is incomplete, as Game Show Network has never aired any episodes from this season and few episodes circulate among collectors.

Contents

In Round 1, $1,000 becomes pink. Going clockwise from there, $500 changes from light orange to yellow, $400 from red to purple, $200 from tan to red, Free Spin from brown to peach, $700 from orange to pink, $200 from tan to peach, $150 from red to blue, and $450 from brown to red. The blue $400 decreases to a purple $200, while the $250 next to it becomes a peach $400. The green $900 becomes a pink $250, the tan $600 darkens to peach, the brown $250 becomes purple, the blue $350 becomes orange, the tan $750 darkens to yellow, the orange $800 becomes blue, and the orange $200 lightens to peach.

In Round 2, $1,000 becomes yellow. From there, the orange $600 becomes red, the red $300 becomes pink, and the brown $700 lightens to peach. Lose A Turn swaps positions with the $150 two wedges clockwise (which becomes purple), while the tan $800 becomes red, the red $500 becomes pink, the tan $400 becomes blue, the blue $250 becomes purple, the tan $400 upgrades to a peach $900, the blue $550 reduces to a red $300, and the brown $300 becomes a blue $250. The red $200 and tan $900 trade places (the former becoming pink and the latter becoming yellow), the orange $200 increases to $400, the blue $400 becomes a purple $550, the tan $500 becomes an orange $200, the second Bankrupt moves one wedge clockwise to replace the tan $600 (with a red $500 replacing the Bankrupt), the brown $250 becomes a pink $600, and the red $200 becomes blue.

The contestant backdrops are changed to streamline the "jagged" edges while retaining the same color scheme. The new backdrops' "beams" appear to resemble flower buds.

The walls are replaced by a set of lights and a more colorful background.

As of about mid-November, the Enterprises logo still looks the same as it did in September 1984.

Sometime this month, known to be after the third sunburst backdrops are introduced, a female contestant named Leigh sets a new one-round record of $44,300 by solving AN AMERICAN SUCCESS STORY. She also wins three cars: one from the Prize wedge, the other two from the aforementioned one-round record. Her overall maingame winnings are $59,013, but she loses a $17,000+ piece of jewelry in the Bonus Round.

On an episode sometime in November or December (Kate/Marc/Caryn):

A $13,187 Renault Alliance convertible is the Wheel Prize. It is won.

Round 4 is played for a gift certificate despite not beginning as a Speed-Up.

By the above episode, and definitely by late December, the Enterprises logo is altered to add the line "A unit of The Coca-Cola Company", in the company's signature font, between the "Enterprises" marking and copyright date.

On February 12 (taped January 18), then-future Oprah Winfrey Show producer LeGrande Green is a contestant. He wins $4,900 in the main game (including a sofa bed, brass clock, stereo system, and trip to Hawaii) plus a Renault in the Bonus Round, a total of $19,508.

On an episode sometime this month (Therese/Ed/Rodger):

The Round 2 puzzle PLEASE DON'T FEED THE ANIMALS is on the second through fourth rows, a practice normally done only if the first word is too long for the top row.

In Round 2, Ed accidentally asks to buy a vowel after spinning, but is prompted for a consonant by Pat. He then calls an S, which is in the puzzle.

In Round 4, which begins as a Speed-Up, the ding is accidentally used when the apostrophe in the puzzle is revealed.

During the end-of-game tally, Pat mentions that Rodger's twin brother had been a contestant as well.

Possibly due to the presence of Round 4, Pat signs off after the Bonus Round.

In what seems to have been a rarity for the shopping era, two contestants (Mark and Susan) win at least $10,000.

Mark wins two cars: a Jeep in the main game, and a Renault in the Bonus Round.

On another episode sometime this month (Sandra/Janet/Ray):

The Prize is a $15,636 Buick Skylark.

In an unusual move, Pat hands Sandra one of her prizes (a floral basket) after the final round.

Pat and Vanna do the closing chat from Jack's announcing booth, allowing him to be seen on-camera for the only known time during his tenure as announcer. This is followed by footage of Pat, Vanna, and Jack doing a train tour.